


The Doctor and The Queen

by call_me_caoimhe



Category: Doctor Who, The Mighty Boosh
Genre: Alien Planet, Animals, Beautiful, Beauty - Freeform, Blue - Freeform, Bugs, Chaos, Classic Who, Extinction, F/M, Fashion & Couture, First Meetings, Friendship, Gang, Gen, London, Love, Male Friendship, Mars, Muggles, Nabootique, Old Friends, Planet Destruction, Queen - Freeform, Royalty, Shaman - Freeform, TARDIS - Freeform, Time Travel, Travel, beetles, bow tie, eleventh doctor - Freeform, endangered, muggle, pretty, space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-18 15:25:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,052
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7320757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/call_me_caoimhe/pseuds/call_me_caoimhe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the selfish ignorance of the greedy threatens the survival of not only an entire species, but the whole of the galaxies as well, the Doctor finds himself faced with the heavy responsibility of saving the entirety of existence.  </p><p>If anyone can perform such a feat, it's the Doctor.  But, it may just be possible that even he won't be able to save the day...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Doctor and The Queen

   An ancient race known as Keschtaell beetles had been quite the popular item back in the second age.  
Due to their beautiful silvery irridescence and incredible restorative properties, they'd been carelessly taken from their planet by ruthless intergalactic traders and had fallen into the hands of numerous races from all classes that spanned much of the galaxies.    
Keschtaells had become legendary; spectacular tales of their capabilities had reached astronomical heights.  
Once realisation struck that these precious beetles were not at all what they had seemed to be, it had been too late.  
     
     
In the beginning, a Keschtaell would heal injuries and even induce the regrowing of limbs and organs, reverse aging and/or stop it entirely, and generally doing astounding things for the body that would have been considered impossible before the discovery of the beetles.  
People would heal swiftly, did not need to consume even a quarter of the amount of food and water normally required, would stay cool on hot days and warm on cold days...  Keschtaells had become an irreplaceable part of everyday life for many, and some had even gone so far as to begin worshiping them.  
  
  
  But, there was a reason for each Keschtaell's struggle in transforming its owner into such wondrous condition; once its goal was reached, the Keschtaell would then embed itself into the very core of the nervous system and acquire full control over the brain.  
In their proper environment, the beetles would only hijack the systems of specific varieties of small geckos, as they had been meant to do, rather than latch onto other creatures with the lack of their natural prey.  
However, with being forced into unfit territory, the Keschtaells had needed to try and adapt or they would perish.  
The creatures which they had been sold to were far too complex for the keschtaells to integrate into, and as a result, the beetles had gone painfully mad soon after delving into the nervous system.    
To say that chaos had ensued would be an overwhelming understatement.  
  
  
   The affected beings became horrendously enraged in their insanity, and began committing atrocities that crippled worlds.  
Massive wars were begun, senseless acts of violence and murder committed, destruction and suicide ran rampant...  The staggering number of the dead was beyond the billions, and by the end, there had been entire planets left without any signs of life.  
The Keschtaells' vessels that had survived had been beyond hope while the others brains had become overloaded and had more or less shut down permanently.  
The only way to prevent any more damage to the universe was to literally burn them out with white-hot flames.  
The Doctor had been the one to do it, and he'd felt terrible regret at not being able to save the ill-fated victims of this tragedy.  
And, now, with a strong chance of history repeating itself, the Doctor was fighting to prevent that very thing from taking place.  
  
  
   The whimsically decorated den made Rory want to go and look around at the many odd bits and bobs, but Amy had kept him sitting by her side on the couch.  
 The Doctor had been strangely quiet since they'd arrived, and Amy didn't like it; he hadn't been his usual joyful puppydog self, and that always meant something bad.  
He'd given them a brief and vague rundown of the situation as they'd come aboard the TARDIS in a hurry after the Doctor had purchased a pretty little bug from a stall in Saturn's farmer's market.  
He'd not looked too thrilled at his purchase, and shortly after the transaction, a short elderly lady in a floral babushka had come up to him.  She'd whispered frightenedly that the beetle was a danger and that he would be wise to be rid of it.  
When asked why, the old lady had explained how the creatures had been taking over buyers minds.  How she'd seen it with her own eyes when her brother's Keschtaell had buried itself into his body and turned him into someone else.  
  
     
   The Doctor'd had an inkling as to where the trouble might have started, and he'd found himself to be more or less correct in his assumption; the Nabootique sold a variety of items from all over the universe, with more recent sales including the first of the recent Keschtaell beetles on the intergalactic market.  
The Doctor had already found himself having to set things right a few times with sales from the Nabootique gone awry, but this business with the Keschtaells was far more grievous than Naboo seemed to have realised.    
"I've told you before, Naboo, not to so much as look too long at anything from the caverns of Mars."  The Doctor stated in a calmly solemn tone, tasting his cup of chamomile tea.  "Much less sell such things."  
He crossed his long, skinny legs and looked Naboo directly in the eyes.  
As the Doctor was completely ignoring the jammy dodgers sitting enticingly on a small china plate, everyone in the room knew that this was an absolutely serious matter.    
None of them had ever known him to pass up the chance of snacking on jammy dodgers.  
  
  
   The delicate looking man in blue had a helpless expression on his face.  "I had no idea; the man who sold them to me didn't know where the beetles had come from either.  How could I know they were from the caverns?"  He explained a hint defensively as he gestured with his hands.    
The Doctor pressed his thin lips together, leaning over and setting the tea cup down on its saucer on the table.  "Fair enough, I suppose, but still...  In the future, do us both a favour and stay away from anything that you aren't sure about."  
The last time the Doctor'd had to smooth things over, Naboo had ended up accidentally giving half the UK a particularly vicious strain of the Venutian flu from a few cases of carbonated beverage made from the moss that grows on gnult toads.  
Of course, the strange symptoms and no apparent cure had sent storms of abject panic regarding an epidemic of the unknown illness.    
After a friend of his had fallen ill with the bizarre sickness had called him, the Doctor had strived to deliver medication to those who'd so badly needed it.    
After learning how the outbreak had begun, he'd paid a visit to the Nabootique to have a word.  
  
  
   Naboo stayed guiltily quiet.  There wasn't a whole lot for him to say.  
"I thought you were supposed to be a wizard or something; why can't you fix this whole bug thing?"  Amy asked, shifting to get a little more comfortable.  
If this man wasn't a muggle, then he ought to be able to settle things easily enough on his own.  In which case, why would he be reaching out to the Doctor for help?  
It seemed a touch suspicious to her.  
Considering that the Doctor did tend to find himself waltzing straight into traps from time to time, Amy was a bit wary of circumstances like this that didn't seem to add up straight away.  
She was fiercely protective of those she cared about, a true and loyal friend, and Amy would do everything she could to protect her loved ones.  
If this little shrimp had any plans against the Doctor, she wasn't about to go easy on him.  
   
  
   "He's a shaman, not a wizard, and not a very good one at that."  The Doctor answered for Naboo, earning himself a particularly offended look in return.  "What?  It's the truth.  If you would only put daily practice into it, you could become quite powerful.  Even stronger than Dennis, I'd say."  
Amy had no idea what the differences between a shaman and a wizard happened to be, and was about to ask when she was cut off before being able to utter a single word.  
The Doctor paused, tilting his head to the right.  "Which brings me to a point; what about the other shamen?  Why haven't you gotten them involved before turning to me?  Together, you could quite possibly collect the Keschtaells before another epidemic blasts through existence."  
  
  
   Naboo cleared his throat, knowing this to be true enough.  "See, the thing is, Doctor, if the board of shamen find out what I've done, I'm finished; they'll strip me of my powers and probably punish me on top of that.  They're not exactly fans of the Caverns, either.  And, if anyone comes to actual harm because of the Keschtaells, I'll be executed."  
The Doctor looked solemn.  "Well, then, there's nothing else for it."  He decided, giving a nod.   "I'll help you, Naboo."  
Naboo looked relieved, very glad to have his friend's assistance.  
"But, you'll be there with me every step of the way.  This is your mess, and you're going to help me clear it up."  The Doctor went on, hoping that the shaman would learn a lesson.  
The sudden tinkling sound of shattering glass caught their attention, and they looked  toward where the noise had come from to find a badly broken figurine at Rory's feet.  
"I'm sorry, I was only looking at it and..."  Rory began feebly, going red.    
Naboo sighed in annoyance.  "Didn't anyone ever tell you to look with your eyes and not your hands?"  He asked in his soft voice, adjusting one of his tacky rings.  "That glass cat was three thousand years old, it's not as though I can nip down to Woolworth's to replace it."  
The Doctor stood up.  "I'll find it an identical successor."  He stated, and Rory looked more settled at this.  "But first, let's save the world."  
  
  
  
   It had been quite some time since Naboo had been aboard the TARDIS, and the changes had come as a surprise.  
"When did you revamp the old place?"  He asked as he looked about reminiscently, running his fingers along a wall.  
Naboo recalled the classic white interior, the  octagonal console that he was accustomed to, the harsher lighting...  Even the smell of the TARDIS was different.  It had smelt of lush green plants before, and now the air was filled with sweet notes of toffee.  
"Do you like it?"  The Doctor inquired with a wide grin, gesturing about him.  "She's been through a few changes since we last met.  Then again, so've I."  
Naboo had been a little startled to meet the Doctor's latest form.  He had been rather fond of the incarnation that he'd known before; one that had often carried an umbrella, had a penchant for question marks, and had kept a feisty young companion who went by the handle of 'Ace' that loved explosives.  
Naboo decided that he liked this new look for the TARDIS.  "It suits you."  He answered, as a knock came upon the closed doors.  
  
  
   The Doctor frowned.  "Now, who might that be?"  He asked curiously, thinking it slightly odd.  
After all, Naboo had always lived alone beyond a familiar, and the shop had been closed for more than an hour.  
"It's probably my shop keepers, they live upstairs.  And, there's Bollo, of course."  Naboo answered, and the Doctor raised his nearly hairless brows.  
"Bollo's still around, eh?  That's good."  He remarked, going toward the door.  "I do miss Frangelico, though...  That rat was lovely, wasn't he?"  The Doctor remembered Naboo's first familiar, one that he'd been fond of.  
"Yeah, he was great.  But, hang on a tick, eh?"  Naboo tried to stop the Doctor from answering the door, causing him to pause.    
"What's the matter?"  The Doctor asked with a frown, trying to figure it out.  
"This is an important task, and I'm not sure bringing Howard and Vince along would be a good idea." Naboo replied.  "They do tend to bollock things up; they're good guys, but complete idiots."  
They were his friends, certainly, but Howard and Vince were best left to smaller and less important details.  
"Having them on the TARDIS would be safer for them."  The Doctor pointed out.  "It's early on yet, but the Keschtaells could quite possibly take over far more swiftly than you might imagine.  Your friends could die before we can stop the Keschtaells, and I wouldn't be able to stop that happening, Naboo."  
Naboo had figured that with the Doctor's help, the problem would be resolved before anything that bad happened.  
After all, this was the Doctor.  The hero who always saved the day.  At least, almost always.  
  
  
  
   "That is well brilliant!  How'd you do it?"  Vince asked in awe, beaming widely as his face lit up with the excitement of a young child.  
He wanted to go and explore as fascinated giddiness set in, his pale blue eyes darting about the place.  
Howard, on the other hand, seemed to be puzzling it out quietly in order to find a logical conclusion to the size/appearance ratio.  
The Doctor smiled, somehow never having completely tired of initial reactions to the TARDIS.  
"It's a long explanation, but simply put, the short of it is that it's your basic paradox."  The Doctor answered simply, scanning the three new guests with his screwdriver.  "Think of it like Mary Poppins' bag; bigger on the inside."  
No sign of Keschtaells on Howard, Vince, or Bollo.

  
   "I've got a bad feeling about this."  Bollo pronounced grimly, his unnaturally blue eyes staring off to the left.  
"Have you ever considered that Bollo might perhaps experience anxiety with all of those bad feelings he gets?"  The Doctor inquired, frowning.  
Naboo hadn't given the idea much consideration and said so.    
"You might want to look into that."  The Doctor replied, as Bollo's stomach rumbled loudly.  
"Anything to eat around here?"  The ape asked.  
Amy and Rory exchanged looks; they'd seen quite a lot of strange things, but animals with the ability of human speech hadn't been among the contents of that list.  
The TARDIS translated most languages, but for some reason it didn't work for certain things, such as decoding animal and baby talk.  
"That ape can actually speak English?"  Amy asked, looking impressed.  
Bollo nodded, letting out a grunt.  
"I can do more than talk, sweet-cheeks.  Maybe you find out later."  He replied suggestively, earning himself a thoroughly disgusted noise from Amy as Rory frowned deeply and gave him an upset 'Oi!'.  
  
   The Doctor turned to Howard and Vince, who had been exchanging theories about how the TARDIS was be able to exist as a paradox.  "I'm the Doctor, by the way."  
Howard's eyes flicked to look at him interestedly.  "I've heard of you, and your blue box thingy - er, TARDIS."  
The Doctor went over to the console, leaning against it and looking at him.  "As an old friend of Naboo's, I'm not surprised.  He's probably told you some good stories about me, eh?  We've had some real adventures together."  
Amy smiled, a few tales of her own springing to mind, as she wondered what sort of hijinks that he and this shaman had gotten up to.  
Howard shook his head.  "No, he's not really mentioned you.  Naboo's pretty private about his past, doesn't like to talk about it."  He replied, smoothing his moustache.  "Actually, I've read about you on the internet; how you are something of a protector of the Earth, saved us quite a few times from invasion and imminent death, that sort of thing...  Even ran across a cult or two revolving around you.  Some strange stuff, I'll tell you."  
The Doctor rested his hand on a lever.  "Ah, yes, well, there are some people who've gone and splashed stories about me on the net.  I don't strictly approve of those articles and webpages.  Or any groups affiliated with me, with one or two little exceptions."  
The Doctor licked his bottom lip, beginning to pull a purple lever as he pushed a couple of small copper buttons.  "Now, hold tight to something.  We're headed to Mars."  
  
  
  
   Mars is an amazing planet; from a distance, it would appear quite lusterless, while its surface is entirely the opposite.  
The ground has a delicate, shimmering purple glow to it, and walking on it is as walking on firm oatmeal.  
The air is fresh and cold, with no particular odour to it (thanks to a shield installed by traders, breathable oxygen was filtered into the atmosphere), and there isn't much light save for the odd lamp erected here and there.  
"We're heading to the caverns, which are even more dangerous than they are beautiful.  You are not to touch anything there, are you all quite clear on this point?"  The Doctor asked in outright seriousness, looking at each of them in turn.  
He had tried to convince Naboo's friends and familiar to stay in the TARDIS, but only Bollo was agreeable.    
If something went wrong, it was far easier to try and keep two people safe rather than five, on top of himself.

  
But, Howard and Vince had been adamant that they come along, not wanting to miss out on any action.  'Besides,' they had argued, 'We could be of use.'  The Doctor wasn't confident that this was altogether true, but had kept his opinion to himself.  
The Doctor had caved in, having a distinct feeling that the pair of pals would only end up causing trouble in the TARDIS in one way or another.  At least this way he could keep an eye on them both.  
The group agreed, and the Doctor tried giving them a good stern look to make his warning sink further in.  
"Right."  The Doctor began, rubbing his hands together.  "We're looking for the Queen Keschtaell, she'll be easy to spot due to her size - she'll likely stand at eight or so feet."  The Doctor told them, and his gang looked a bit uneasy at this.    
The Doctor gestured with a hand as if endeavoring to wave away any apprehension.  "Oh, don't worry, she can't do much; the only reason she exists is to send messages to the colony, and unless you are a gecko of the Borevian genus, you are more than safe from them."  
The Doctor looked down at the ground, considering what he'd seen there so far.  "Going by the state of the sand, I'd say the traders have taken most of the colony...  And, anyway, Keschtaell Queens are among the most gentle creatures around.  Wouldn't hurt a fly."  
  
   Amy had read quite a lot about the Keschtaell race in a detailed book in the Doctors vast library, learning about their history and seeing photographs of them in the wild.  
She'd thought they were brilliant, and couldn't wait to see the Queen of them all.  
Rory, on the other hand, had a definite fear of bugs and was hesitant to even be out there searching for a gigantic beetle in the first place.  He'd have much rather stayed back in the TARDIS with the rude gorilla.  
But, his fiance had insisted he come along, and that had been the deciding factor.  
After all, whatever Amy wanted, Amy usually got.  
  
     
   They had wandered about for a while, finding no trace of the Queen as they went along searching for the caverns.  
After an hour or so, they'd reached their destination.  
Now, there is a multitude of reasons that the caverns of Mars have been deemed as enchanted, one of the more famous ones being that they move from time to time of their own volition.  
You see, the caverns themselves are entirely sentient, which is partly why they can become so treacherous.  
Mostly, they're quite peaceful, rarely causing any mischief whatsoever.  
One major problem is that its contents soak up the potent energy, and can affect different things in very different ways; a doll might become living, a stone could end up emitting deadly toxins, or a breakfast cereal might give its consumer superpowers (or possibly eat him/her instead).  
Anything could happen, really.  The scope was unfathomable.    
Perhaps that was part of the appeal for the traders that came and went from those caverns, taking what they would without considering the consequences.  
  
  
   Once they were inside, the Doctor lead them down a path that looked as if it were made of flowing lava but was quite cool to the touch.  
Their new surroundings were mesmerising, and there were many marvels to peer at.  
"So, this Queen Keschtaell beetle?  What are we going to do when we find it?"  Naboo asked hesitantly, as Howard nearly tripped over his own feet to avoid stepping on a razor sharp plant that looked as though it was capable of slicing through the soles of his shoes with ease.  
"Destroy her."  The Doctor answered in a semi-bitter tone, concentrating on looking ahead.  
Amy looked upset at this.  "There's got to be another way; we can't just destroy the only Keschtaells in existence."  She objected, crossing her arms.

  
If only the traders had left the cavern alone, the generally peaceful species could have remained safe.  
It hadn't been their fault that their struggle for survival had destroyed so many lives.  
The Keschtaells planet had been decimated; the sheer number of beings that had come along to steal them away had left it in an awful state, and the scars left on the planet had proven too deep.  
It could no longer support the Keschtaells, and the Doctor had searched for a new place that they could call home.  
And, Mars had been the only option.  
"There's no other choice, Amy."  The Doctor told her sadly, taking her hand.  "Either they die, or they'll spread through the universe and destroy it.  If that happens, everything will perish."  
  
  
   The Doctor had brought the beetles to the caverns, and he'd felt entirely responsible for what had happened to them this time around.  
He'd tried to protect them, keep them from harm, but he'd ended up failing in his mission.    
And, now, he would be the one to bring about their permanent extinction in one fell swoop.

  
Outside of Mars, no other place was fit for the Keschtaells, and it was no longer safe for them.  He couldn't stop the traders permanently.  They would always come back.  
"Everything all right?"  Naboo asked him, sounding a hint worried.  
Amy and Rory also seemed concerned, knowing that this trip was going to be very rough on him.  
"Not really, but that's unimportant."  He answered quietly, his guilt sharp and beginning to cut deeper the closer he came to carrying out the actions that he needed to take.  
"Doctor..."  Amy said sympathetically, not knowing what to say.   

  
He gave her a brave look, before crouching down to the ground near some shrubbery and picking up some big, black, spiny things.  "Leg bristles.  She's got to shed them every so often to keep her sense of smell keen."  He said matter-of-factly, as if that explained everything.  "They're still slightly sticky.  She can't be too far off."  
He looked to his left, seeing the trail left in the purple sand that sparkled with the odd tiny green gem.  "Come on."  He urged them softly, and they followed him in silence as he dutifully trudged on.  
  
  
   They'd walked only a while longer, before finding the Queen in all her glory.  
And, oh, what a glory she was to behold!  
She was absolutely marvellous!  This massive Queen was more than three times larger than the Doctor had supposed she'd have grown to be, possessed more colours than the humans had ever even seen before, and positively hummed with power.

  
The Doctor was cooing with adoration at the mere sight of her, showing proper respect before being permitted to come and touch her.  
She'd purred loudly as the Doctor had gently rubbed above her sixteen shining red eyes after the Queen had lowered herself to the lay on the ground, while everyone besides Amy merely stared.  
Amy, on the other hand, had done as the Doctor had, and was now lovingly petting the Keschtaells chest.  
"I've already told you, it's all right; she's perfectly harmless.  She's not going to hurt you."  He reminded them, trying to help them realise there was no reason to fear.  
Vince took a single step closer in his treasured black boots adorned with thousands of tiny sequins, and the Queen swiftly turned her gaze upon him.  
Unnerved, he stepped back.  

  
The Doctor shook his head in disapproval.  "No adventure, the lot of you."  He remarked with a sigh, before turning back to the Queen.  He could feel a sharp lump in his throat as he swallowed.  
The Doctor slid his hand along the cold, silky exoskeleton on her side, trailing to where her heart was located and letting his hand rest there a moment.  
He could feel the strong rythymic beating, each one full of so much life and promise.  
The Queen was young yet, and could have easily lived another two or three hundred years.  
  
  
   He knew what had to be done, and it made his hearts ache awfully.  
The Doctor wanted to put it off, completely if he could...  This creature was a friend of his, and an innocent.       
With a bit of psychic energy, he caused her to slip into a deep sleep filled with lovely dreams, continuing to stroke her comfortingly.  A sleep from which she would never wake, but only continue to steadily drift further and further into death.  
The Doctor's eyes brimmed with tears, and he gave a wet sniff.  
Amy couldn't look away, feeling very sad as she watched this majestic beast's life slowly extiguish while Rory enveloped her in a protective hug.  
  
   There had been little choice but to kill her; alive, she transmitted signals to each and every Keschtaell which kept their instincts intact.  
Without those transmitted instincts, the others wouldn't know how to overtake even the simplest nervous system in order to survive and no more life would be ruined by them.  
With the Queen dead, they would only need to worry about those individuals that had already been infested.  
"Is it...  dead?"  Howard asked cautiously, a tinge of sadness in his voice.  He was a man that enjoyed nature, and preferred it alive.  
Vince was the same, and having been raised for a time in the jungle by animals, he had a special appreciation.  Of course, having the keen ability to speak to the animals and understand them made his love for creatures big and small all the greater.

  
The Doctor swallowed, and turned back to them with slumped shoulders.  "Yes, she is."  He answered lowly, straightening his red bow tie.  "Come along, Ponds."  He told Amy and Rory softly, heading away from the Queen and out of the caverns.  
Naboo turned and followed the Doctor, and the boys gave one another a melancholy sort of look and went as well.  
The air had become heavy, and any good feelings had dissolved with the life of the last reigning Queen of the Keschtaells.  
  
  
   Back in the TARDIS, everything was silent for a few minutes as the Doctor came back to himself.  
Losing anyone was always traumatic, but to be the cause behind the loss was even worse.  
He'd brought the Queen to the caverns himself when she was but a tiny beetle only half the size of his smallest fingernail.    
The last Keschtaell, saved by chance; she had hitched a ride on the inside of his coattails, creeping out and resting on his arm after he'd sat down on the stairs in the TARDIS.  
The Doctor hadn't the heart to kill her, hope sparking inside him that the Keschtaells could live on in peace once more if they were given a new home where they would be safe from ignorant creatures looking to make money at their expense.  
He'd taken a great deal of care in helping her to survive, staying for the first few weeks to ensure her safety while she grew large enough to fend for herself.  
  
  
   By the time he had left, the Queen had grown to be three and a half feet tall and had the first signs of a brood coming.  
Fortunately, Keschtaells were prolific and capable of reproducing alone, and therefore her race survived.  
Not only survived, but thrived; within a year or so there were thousands of Keschtaells on Mars.  
The Doctor had been very happy to learn of their successful return after quite nearly being wiped out.  
The Queen had been the only Keschtaell left, and she'd barely escaped with her life after the great tragedy that had destroyed the rest of those magnificent beetles.  
And, now, at his hands, she was gone.  
  
  
   Taking a deep, calming breath as he stood before the console, the Doctor sent them back to where they had set off from.  
After they'd landed, the Doctor had to take another moment before he was more like his usual self again.  
Amy had begun feeling quite sick, and Rory had taken her to have a lie down.  
She'd been through a lot, they both had, after a recent miscarriage Amy had become far more emotional than before.  
Watching that Keschtaell die had evoked a strong reaction, and Rory had convinced her to keep out of the rest of it to take some rest, promising to stay with her.  
He'd become more protective of his wife now more than ever.  
  
   The Doctor had made sure that Amy was comfortable before leaving to continue his task, giving her a cup of tea laced with an ancient powder that would grant her a lingering happy euphoria that would last for quite a few hours.  
But, he'd ended up pausing halfway to the door on his way out, feeling drained.  
Naboo had come to stand by his side, doing what he could to be comforting, knowing that he couldn't do much to help.  
His dark eyes looked into the Doctor's pale ones, and Naboo placed a hand on his friend's arm.  
"I'm sorry."  Naboo told him gently with true empathy.  "I'm so, so sorry."  
He knew how caring the Doctor was, how much love he held for so many others, and how badly he must have been hurting.  
"So am I."  The Doctor said a hint bitterly, before clearing his throat.  "The Keschtaells won't pose a threat now.  Not to anyone else, anyway.  But, we've still got to find the people they've already gotten to, before their brains short out and they all die."  
  
  
  
   The Doctor gathered his strength and went to open the door.  
"How are we going to be able to tell who's got a Keschtaell and who hasn't?"  Vince asked, and Howard nodded.  
"And, how to we get the Keschtaells out?"  Howard added, wondering how many people had been affected.  
The Doctor reached into a pocket, rummaging around.  
Clearly, his pockets were much the same as the TARDIS and bigger on the inside.  
He took out three sonic devices which looked to be similar yet miniature copies of his own screwdriver.

  
The Doctor handed one to each of them.  
"Without their instincts, the Keshtaells will be more or less brain dead; unable to manage anything other than the simple existence of a zombie."  The Doctor started to answer the first question.  "People hijacked by a Keschtaell won't be capable of doing much; they'll likely be standing or walking around and staring blankly and drooling, that sort of thing."  
The Doctor took out his own sonic.  "To be completely certain that you have indeed found a Keschtaell, simply aim your sonic screwdriver at the suspected victim and press the small button on the side.  If the pitch slowly wavers between high and low, you've found one."

  
The Doctor brushed a bit of hair that had strayed into his eyes out of his face before continuing.  
"As for removing the Keschtaell, leave that to me."  The Doctor went on to answer the second question.  "Together, we'll round them all up like cattle in one place, and I'll take care of the rest."  
Howard, Vince, and Naboo nodded.  
"Right, now, they shouldn't be dangerous, but let's err on the side of caution and keep from touching them."  The Doctor added thoughtfully.  "They'll be capable of managing a mild electrical shock, but without instinct I'm not entirely certain what the keschtaells will be able to do.  Stick with me, and if all else fails...  Run."  
He managed a tight smile.  "Right, well, let's get to work, shall we?"    
  
  
   As the Doctor had said that they would be, the affected had been easy to spot.  
Many of them were milling about aimlessly with unseeing eyes, bumping into things and stumbling around like drunken monkeys.  
Cars had been crashed as their drivers had become compromised, people lay on the ground with varying injuries, others that seemed to have gone into major destructive mode and were violently abusing others, themselves, or random things.  
It was horrid chaos, the sight of which was more than enough to churn even the strongest of stomachs.  
 It was evident that the Keschtaells had taken over even more swiftly than the last time.  
The Doctor had thought that he'd only left for a matter of a few hours, when in fact they had been gone for an entire day.  
The Doctor knew that the situation had grown to be all too much for only four people to take on.  
  
   He would have to use the TARDIS' sonic device, one powerful enough to be able to control the Keschtaells.  The Doctor would be able to send them all into one space, and then...  Well.  
The Doctor dashed back to the TARDIS with the boys, and did what he had to do, transporting the infested people onto a planet that had been devoid of life for rather a long time.  
Thoroughly scanning the Earth, and then any nearby planets, he was able to ascertain that the Keschtaells were contained to that single condemned globe.  
And, with that, the Doctor neutralised the planet of the humans that had become nothing but empty shells with a mere flick of a switch, and it was over.  
  
  
   They had all gathered at the Nabootique after the Keschtaells had been taken care of.  
The Doctor was weary from the weight of what he'd done and felt grief for the many who had died.  
Naboo had taken good care of him; a nice room was set up for The Doctor, the place was kept quiet, and Naboo had been sure to have a store of the foods that the Doctor had liked back when he'd known the Time Lord (to his surprise and mild disgust, Naboo had learnt that the Doctor's favourite sustenance had become fish fingers and custard).  
An invitation was extended to the Ponds as well, who took Naboo up on the offer.

  
For the first while, the Doctor stayed in his room, making no noise and seemingly pretending he was not there.  
It had been nearly a week before he'd come out, still healing from the trauma.  
But, Howard and Vince's typical antics had helped rise from the depths of depression bit by bit over time.  
He'd gotten on especially well with Vince, and it hadn't taken long for his wardrobe to be updated  with a bit of help.  
Soon enough, he was wearing Vince's gift of shiny knee-high white platform boots that the legendary David Bowie had once worn and black drainpipes while the rest of his wardrobe remained the same.  
The Doctor liked this bold new look so much that he adopted it, much to Vince's joy.  
Amy had stifled laughter at the strange sight, while Rory thought that it was a great fashion statement (though he himself would never have the nerve to dare wear such an outfit).  
Vince and Howard had become fast friends of his, and he'd bonded even more strongly with Naboo.  
Amy and Rory had ended up liking the Doctor's friends, even Bollo, and when the time came to say good-bye none of them really wanted to part.

  
And, so they didn't.  Not then, anyway.  
Rather, they went on quite the spectacular trip in time and space which had topped most of what the Doctor had done before or ever would do.  
A galactic excursion which had been the first of many, and they'd become quite the team to reckon with.

  
Their intermittent adventures together continue even to this day, and with the coming war with the Huliar Nebula, perhaps you will see them in action.


End file.
